NEW DELHI: The government has officially replaced the National Building Code (NBC) with the National Building Construction Standards (NBCS) as of Thursday. This shift comes after directives from the Deregulation Cell under the Cabinet Secretariat. The new standards aim to provide guidelines rather than enforceable rules.
According to sources, a primary reason for this change was that the previous code, while voluntary, implied legal obligations due to its terminology, leading to numerous court cases.
Although the Deregulation Cell had initially suggested excluding the “fire and life safety” section from the standards, it was included in NBCS following significant pressure from fire safety experts.
It’s important to note, however, that while NBC provisions for fire and life safety utilized the term “shall,” NBCS uses “should,” which implies recommendations rather than mandatory requirements. Experts indicate this shift could diminish compliance.
Furthermore, the applicability of these rules has changed. Under the previous NBC, residential buildings taller than 15 meters were required to follow fire and life safety norms, but this threshold has been raised to 24 meters in NBCS.
An expert involved in the NBC revision remarked, “Previously, state fire authorities could merely follow the NBC; now, they must develop detailed compliance strategies. The impact of this transition remains to be seen.”
The new standards, notified on Thursday, reflect changes since NBC’s last revision in 2016, including variations in land availability, increased infrastructure needs, evolving socio-economic conditions, and technological advancements.
NBCS acknowledges that since construction is managed at the state level, local authorities should play a role in administrative, height, and space requirements.
The document emphasizes a shift from a prescriptive regulatory approach to a more performance-oriented framework that allows for innovation and effective decision-making.
Regarding fire and life safety, although it’s categorized as a state issue, it has been incorporated into NBCS due to its crucial role in protecting occupants and the broader public’s safety.
